The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1887-08-20
PRIMoRDIAI. AGE

In which nascent life was represented.
Alge, crustaceans and vertcbrates yet
without heads. appear 10 have had
exclusive possession for SO hundredths
of the time that had elapsed since the
earth became habitable. The primary
period. which succeeded, it typltied by
the carboniter0us vegetation and the
reign of the fishes: to it 10 assigned 81
hundredths Of tho time following.
The secondary period, during which
the splendid conifere denOminated
the vegetable, and the huge saurihn
reptiles ti'e animal world, lasted II
hundredths. Then the earth was
swarming with fantastic beings, en-
gagged in perpetual warfare in the
midst of the ungoverned elements.
Thus, | have here, according to the
compared thickness of the lands which
were deposited during these successive
ep0chs, SO hundredths oi the elapsed
time occupied by living forms, aOso-
lulely distinct from those which Vt
present embelish our glo5e-a con.
dition relatively formidable and
coarse, and as different from tina,
which We know NJ If il were that of
another world. Who would have
then dared to rHise the mysterious veil
of the future and fOretelI the distant
time in which man would appear upon
the newly transformed planeti Dur
ing the tertiary period, the nismmifers
and the animals which exhibit more 0r
less physical relation to the human
species, succeeded TO the Inheritance
ofthese prima,ive ages. The duration
of this period did not reach three
hnndredths of the total. The quarter
nary age witnessed the appearance Of
THE HUMAN SPECIES
And the cultivated trees. This period
does not represent one-hundrelth oi
the scale of time. How these mAgnif-
icent contemplations augment the
ideas that We hsbitually form 0t nat
urel We imagine that We ascend very
high into the past when we behold
the ancient pyramids still standing on
the Plains of Egypt, the obelisks GOV.
cred with mysterious hieroglyphics.
the silent temples If Asia, the antique
pagodas Of India, the idols of Mexico
and Peru, the secular traditions nt
Asia and of our Aryan ancestors, the
instruments of the age of stone, the
arms cut from silex. the arrows. the
spears, the knives. the rasps and the
stone slings of our primative barbar.
ism. We hardly dare to speak of TO-
900 or 10000 years. But even it we
should admit 100, 900 years as the age
of our species so slowly progressive,
what would that he nj the side of the
apparently fabulous accumulation of
centuries which have preceded US in
the history of the planetl Allowing
but 100. 900 years to the
QuATERNARY AGE
(The existing age). we see that the
tertiary period must have lasted 300,-
600 years. the secondary i,200. 900. the
primary nearly 100000, and the pri-
mordIal more than 100000 years.
What is this history of life compared
to the total history of the globe. which
has required BOO, ,0O0.Oo0 wears for the
earth to solidify, while its exterior
temperature was decendlng TO 200
degIeesl And how many millions
shall We need to add. to represent the
time which has elapsed between the
Temperature of 200 degrees and that
Of 40 degrees. the probable maximum
of organic life2 The study of worlds
opens TO us in the order of time, hori-
zOns a. immense ~ those which open
~ us in the oider of space; IL causes
us to think Of eternity NJ we think OF
the infinite. We all
ADMIRE THE BEAUTY
OF terrestrial nature-the green hills,
the perlnmed meadows, the murmur-
ing rivulets, the forests with myster-
ious shadows, the groves animated
by the songs 0f birds, the mountains
crowned with snow, the immensiiy of
the seas, the sun in the west between
clouds nf gold and carmine, and the
sublime ascent of this star above the
summit Of the mountains. mingled
with colors, when the first rays of the
morning tremhle in the gray vapors of
the plain. We admire the works of
man which to-day crown those ut ma
ture-the bold viaducts thrown from
one mountain to another. over which